True Stories of the Great War, Volume 5 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
History
True Stories of the Great War, Volume 5 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
Upon his arrival in Berlin, or wherever he may be bound, the traveler
must present himself in person at the nearest police station. There his
passport is again viséd, and he is given official permission to remain
for a given period. But every time he makes a trip he must report
himself going and coming....
III--THE COUNTRY THAT WENT "SPY MAD"
In every hotel are to be met spies in the form of guests, waiters,
chambermaids, telephone operators, and bartenders. In the early part of
the war these last proved their worth often, for men otherwise cautious
and reticent became outspoken under the influence of a few Scotches or
cocktails, which are still in vogue in Germany despite their American
origin.
At one of the biggest of the Berlin hotels it is a noticeable fact that
all the floor waiters are young, active, highly intelligent men. When
they are asked why they are not serving at the front all have excuses
on the score of health. The truth is that they are all governmental
agents whose duty it is to familiarize themselves with the details of
every visitor's business. That they do well. Every stranger's papers
are thoroughly investigated, no matter how securely they may be locked
up, before he has been in the city two days, assuming he leaves them in
his room. Two members of the American diplomatic corps who made short
stays in Berlin can tell singular stories on this point.
The chief of the floor waiters at this hotel--and it is illustrative of
all the others--is a polished-mannered young fellow of about thirty-two
who speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Danish with the same
facility that he reads them, and he reads them as well as he does his
native German. I noticed the chief of the telephone operators, who
while discharging the duties of his lowly job wore livery, attending
the races in an English sport-coat, with glasses strung over his
shoulders, and he went to and from the course in a taxicab, the height
of luxury in wartime Berlin. One would hardly credit his income solely
to the measly wages he received from his work at the switch-board. He,
too, as well as his assistants, was an accomplished linguist.
It must not be thought that espionage is confined to the Americans.
On the contrary, even the subjects of Germany's allies receive this
attention. Austrian, Bulgarian, or Turkish, it makes no difference; all
are put under the scrutiny of the secret eyes and ears of the Kaiser.
Almost it is more difficult to obtain a passport permitting one to
travel to Austria than it is to obtain one for a journey to America,
and the examination at the Austrian border is just as severe as at the
frontier between Germany and Denmark.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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